Sand and gas excluder means for wells



July 14, 1942.

J. W. JOHNSON SAND AND GAS EXCLUDER MEANS FOR WELLS Fil'ed Jan. 51, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventor A iior neys Filed Jan. 51, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2' In water @2126??? Jbkn-san Attorneys Patented July 14, 1942 j OFFICE SAND AND GAS EXC LUDER MEANS FOR L WEL s Julius W. Johnson, Austin, Tex. Application January 31, 1940, Serial No. 316.672

1 Claim.

This invention appertains to new and useful improvements in drilled well apparatus and more particularly to bottom hole joint sections.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide means for the lower end of well tubing constructed and arranged to efficiently prevent the induction of sand and other foreign matter into the working barrel and to simultaneously exclude the escape of gas, to the end that the gas pressure is maintained and not reduced or depleted by escape to the atmosphere.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a bottom hole joint section into which various heat producing chemicals can be placed, such as chemicals which are set 01f by contact with water, to the end that this novel means for excluding both sand and gas can also be utilized for subjecting the bottom of the well to intense heat for the purpose of dissipating parafiine and whatever other destructive foreign matter exists therein.

Still another important object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the character stated which will be of simple construction and capable of being easily disassembled for the purpose of repair or replacement of parts.

These and various other important objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to the reader of the following specification.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 represents a side elevation of the apparatus with a portion broken away.

Figure 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fi ure 1.

Figure 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional view on the line 55 of Figure 1.

Figure 61s a fragmentary sectional view on the line 66 of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings wherein like numerals designate like parts, it can be seen in the drawings, that numeral 5 denotes the well casing downwardly through which extends the tubing 6. The bottom joint section and associated details of novelty are generally referred to by numeral 1. Numeral 8 represents the coupling, while numeral 9 denotes the bottom joint section which has the oil intake openings 10 at an intermediate portion thereof.

Conventionally, the elongated shell II is absent and oil is sucked directly through the openings H) by pump means from the immediate wall I3 of the bottom hole M. It will be assumed that the oil level is at the dotted line l5. The gas under pressure will be above this level I5 while the pump is not working, but due to the strong suction of the pump, ordinarily a considerable amount of the gas on top of the oil, especially when the oil level is nearing the openings I0 is sucked into the working barrel, and obviously due to the nearness of the openings 10 to the wall 13 a considerable amount of the immediate sand in suspension is sucked into the working barrel, and obviously sand in the working barrel gives considerable trouble to the packing means and in time will also show considerable Wear on the Working barrel. It will also be observed, that as this apparatus 1 is located within the oil bearing sand, and there are many gas fissures l6 opening into the bottom hole l4, obviously even when the level I 5 is high a considerable amount of the gas escaping from those fissures I6 is sucked directly into the working barrel before the same has a chance to even escape above the wall surface I5.

In carrying out the present invention, the elongated barrel I I has its upper end threadedly disposed into the joint 8, while the upper portion of the joint 8 is threaded to receive the lower end of the tubing 6.

The joint 8 is provided with the counter-bore I I threaded to receive the upper end of the joint section 9. Numeral l8 denotes the standing valve.

The lower end of the shell II is tapered as at l8 and in this tapered portion are the oil admission openings 19. Just above the tapered portion I8 and in the shell H are the rows 20 of oil admission openings.

The lower portion of the shell ll terminates in a depending reduced cylindrical portion 2| which can be identified as a mud anchor and this has a removable plug 22 in the bottom thereof.

The purpose of the plug 22 is so that when the apparatus 1 is outside of the well, a load of desired chemicals can be placed in the shell l0 and the plug 22 replaced. The apparatus 1 is subsequently lowered into the well and into the bottom hole I4. The chemicals placed in the shell II are such as to be set off by contact with water and when thus subjected to water and are set off, they heat up to a very high temperature which will be found very desirable in treating bottom holes to eradicate parafiine and other destructible and undesirable matter.

It can now be seen, that in operation the suction effect is through the openings 19 and 20, up the barrel II, at the inside thereof and to the openings I 0. There is no direct suction on the wall l3. It will be observed that gas will have an opportunity to pass upwardly from the fissures IE to a point above the oil level [5 and thus the pressure of the gas is not lost and re-pressuring of wells will be unnecessary, at least to the extent now practiced.

Furthermore, as the pump operates the oil will be taken in through the lower portion of the shell II and there will be no direct pull on the sand on the side wall l3. Sand will have a chance to settle and the tendency will not be to move toward the opening 1'0 in the absence of the direct suction. In other words, the present invention has adopted an indirect suction effect on the oil to the end that immediate attraction of both gas and sand is eliminated.

While the foregoing specification sets forth the invention in specific terms, it is to be understood that numerous changes in the shape, size and materials may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed hereinafter.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

In an oil well apparatus, an elongated shell of considerable length, well tubing, means for connecting the upper end of the shell thereto, a tube section in communication with the lower end of the tubing and extending into the shell and having its lower end spaced a considerable distance from the lower end of the shell, means for closing the lower end of the tube in the shell and said lower portion of the tube being perforated, the lower end of the shell tapering downwardly and terminating in a cylindrical portion, a cylinder connected with said cylindrical portion, a plug closing the lower end of the cylinder, the tapered portion having perforations therein and two annular rows of perforations in the shell slightly above the tapered portion, the rest of the shell being imperforate.

JULIUS W. JOHNSON. 

